Otherkin

There are varying degrees of otherkin identification. Some (many furries, for example) simply enjoy the lifestyle but do not necessarily think they trulyare, say, anthropomorphic foxes. Some (from my impression, many, but that might be just because this is how my ex-SO and good friend, the only otherkin I've known IRL have identified) have memories of past lives in which they were non-humans (and sometimes this includes memories of other lives in which they were humans).. in otherwords, they may be, say, dragons reincarnated as humans (why they feel that draconity is their true identity rather than one of many may be because that is how they recall spending most of their lives, their most influential lives, or their first life/lives.) There are also those who go so far as to say not that they used to be, say, gryphons or that they have gryphon souls, but that they are gryphons, currently. Their definition of "are" tends to be somewhat different than most folks'.

In my experience, there are the pretentious otherkins but there are plenty who have no problems with humans. I think some (a lot?) of the ill-will that does exist stems from the insistance that they are not who/what they feel to be and having people tending to write them off as crazy or attention-seekers when they share this part of their identities. But I've yet to meet a dragon (I haven't met a lot of non-dragon otherkins) who had a problem with me, probably because I'm of the giving-beings-the-benefit-of-the-doubt-when-it-comes-to-their-identity school. As I indicated above, I had a relationship with a dragon; my humanhood was not an issue.

(As a human-identified being, I hope I'm not stepping on any otherkin toes/hooves/whatever you walk with here with my perceptions.)

"Otherkin" is, above all, an identity. An Otherkin, at some level, by definition considers xirself to be other than human; "human" is not an accurate or adequate adjective. This is generally expressed as from some form of intuition, although some Otherkin initially decided that "human" was inadequate after failing to fit in with society in general.

Most Otherkin are quite philosophical, as might be expected. They also tend to be rather bookish, and a disproportionate number find themselves at the head of their classes in school or college, frequently being placed in classes above their levels. A penchant for science fiction and fantasy novels is common, although video games are also prevalent.

The large number of online fora centered around Otherkin has given rise to a complete subculture. Notable features of it include a very strong priority on creativity and self-expression; glamourbombing is a popular activity. Politics within such communities can get nastier than one might expect at first; if I may be a bit bigoted here, I'd like to observe that it tends to be worst among elves. The community attempts to be welcoming and open to all comers, but this has the unfortunate side effect that people who ask too many questions about the beliefs of newcomers- especially if any doubt is publically expressed- tend to meet disdain, even when those questions have definite merit. (I, personally, was kicked out of a LiveJournal community for siding with the werewolf observing inconsistencies in the stated past of a werehobbit new to the community.) Discussion is generally encouraged, but participants are frequently expected to never tell anybody they're wrong and instead attempt to somehow express conflicting opinions in ways that do not contradict others'. This tendency has been decreasing recently, however, and skepticism is beginning to get slightly more welcomed.

Humor aside, a common misconception about Otherkin is that they all hate humans. While it's certainly true that some are misanthropic in this way, the vast majority are not. "Human-bashing" sentiments are not usually taken well within Otherkin communities. It is fair to say, however, that the vast majority of Otherkin consider humans to be something different from themselves. (Few, however, attempt to contest that they are physically human.)

because they tend to be exactly the person you'd expect to not quite be human. Very few Otherkin attempt to disguise their identity, to people other than their parents, in any way other than not telling people about it; most will answer honestly if asked directly.

Considering that, "Are they really inhuman?" is, at best, a moot point. Whether or not their spiritual belifs are objectively accurate is irrelevant when they do not behave or think in ways that a normal human would. "Human" is not a particularly useful label for people who only fulfill it in physical appearance. There is no pressing reason for such people to consider themselves to be human, and it is a poor choice to expect them to react the way a normal human would.

An interesting conclusion is my personal experience in my Psychology class. Dr. L. did a number of in-class experiments as a first-hand demonstration of people, including you personally (for "you" defined as "the people in the class"), act in typical manners. I was a significantly-outlying point on every single one...